Astro 114 Planetary Astronomy
Bruce Partridge

Catalog Description

A survey of the overall structure of the Solar System, the laws governing the
motions of the planets and the evolution of the Solar System. Next, we study
general processes affecting the surface properties of planets. This takes us
to a detailed treatment of the properties of several planets. We end by studying
the (surprising) properties of planets found in other stellar systems.

Fuller Course Description

The arrangement of the planets and their motions in the Solar System are consequences
of both the laws of physics and the evolution of the Solar System. We'll begin
114 by considering how the apparent motion of planets across the night sky is
a consequence of their actual motion around the Sun. We will analyze Kepler's
Laws and show their consistency with Newton's more general laws of motion. Then
we will use one of Kepler's Laws to determine the mass of Jupiter or Saturn.

The architecture of the Solar System is in large measure a consequence of the
process that formed the Sun and the planetary system. We will examine the formation
of the Solar System in the light of data (partly lunar and partly from comets
and asteroids) on the early history of our system and of observations of other
stellar systems now in the process of formation.

We then turn to the evolution of individual worlds (planets and their satellites).
We will initially concentrate on worlds with solid surfaces, starting with general
processes such as volcanism, subduction, erosion, cratering, and the evolution
of atmospheres. In this section of the course, we'll learn a little geology.
We will then survey the general properties of the gas giants and of ice worlds.

Next, we will undertake a more detailed examination of the properties of 2-3
worlds (chosen to reflect your interests or hot news from the space program).
In this section of the course, heavy use will be made of planetary images available
from NASA over the Net or in other formats. We will also look at a number of
videos.

Finally, we will look at the convincing and growing evidence for planetary systems
around other stars. Interestingly, most such systems are radically different
from the Solar System. Is this difference real, or do we have a strongly biased
sample? Do these observations provide hints about the future of our own planetary
system?

Required work

Almost weekly homework sets, a mixture of problems and short essays. Three take-home,
open book exams. Several lab sessions devoted to: photography of the planets
and moon; "weighing" a planet; naked eye observations of the planets;
finding the rotation period of a planet or the sun; cratering as a test of age;
solar chemical composition; etc.

Texts

Morrison and Owen The Planetary System, plus substantial additional reading
on the structure and evolution of the Solar System, on specific planets and
on planetary systems around other stars. This will be xeroxed for you, or placed
on reserve.

Week 5.
Chapters 7 and 8. The Moon and Mercury. Cratering.

Week 7.
Chapters 10, 11 and 12. Comparative atmospheres.

Week 8.
Chapters 10, 11 and 12. Mars and Venus.

Week 9.
Geology and biology. Life on Mars?

Weeks 10-11.
Chapters 13 and 14. The gas giants.

Week 12.
Chapters 16, 17, 18. Ice worlds.

Week 13.
Additional coverage of selected worlds.

Week 14.
Part of Chap. 19. Extrasolar planets. (The future of the Solar System revisited.)
*Note : For those of you who have not taken Astro 101 (or who wish to review
some material from that course), I will give a pair of review lectures during
the first week of the course. They will be scheduled Monday and Thursday nights
at 7:00, and, if needed, I'll run extra sessions of each on Tuesday and Friday
(time to be determined). evolution of the Solar System and on planetary systems
around other stars.